Drawings and Broadcasts
Drawings are broadcast from the Texas Lottery Commission Drawings Studio at 601 E. Sixth St., in
the historic downtown area of Austin. Every drawing is broadcast in both English and Spanish. The
drawings also are closed captioned for the hearing impaired. Any television station in Texas may
receive and broadcast Texas Lottery drawings free of charge. Individual television broadcasters
choose whether to broadcast the drawings.
The Drawings Studio is a state-of-the-art facility designed to maximize public viewing of the
drawings, while maintaining the highest level of security. The Drawings Studio is equipped with
robotic cameras. These special cameras minimize the number of people who work on the studio floor
near the drawing machines and ball sets. The Drawings Studio also features a viewing area reserved
for visitors, with group seating and a full view of the drawing and the official broadcast.
The Texas Lottery performs drawings according to detailed, written procedures. The following
information is only a summary and introduction to the drawings process and the security measures
used to protect the integrity of Texas Lottery drawings.
The drawing area of the Studio is secured by a locked steel door, magnetic door locks, an alarm
system and a motion detector. In addition, a numbered tamper-evident seal is attached to the steel
door when drawing personnel are not present in the Studio. The number printed on the seal is logged
and checked every time this door is opened.
Ball sets and drawing machines used for drawings are stored in a secured storage room at the
Drawings Studio. This storage room is secured by a locked steel door, magnetic locks, an alarm
system and a motion detector. In addition, a numbered tamper-evident seal is attached to the door
of the storage room when drawing personnel are not present. The number printed on the seal is
logged and checked when the storage room is opened.
The Texas Lottery uses multiple Lotto Texas drawing machines manufactured by Garron Lottery
Products Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland. The Lotto Texas drawing machines use natural-rubber ball
sets. The Texas Lottery uses multiple ball sets for Lotto Texas.
The Texas Lottery uses multiple Cash Five drawing machines manufactured by Garron Lottery
Products Inc. The Cash Five drawing machines use Ping Pong-style ball sets. The Texas Lottery uses
multiple ball sets for Cash Five.
The Texas Lottery uses multiple Texas Two Step drawing machines manufactured by Garron Lottery
Products Inc. The Texas Two Step drawing machines use Ping Pong-style ball sets. The Texas Lottery
uses multiple ball sets for Texas Two Step.
The Texas Lottery uses multiple Daily 4 drawing machines manufactured by SmartPlay International
Inc., of Edgewater Park, New Jersey. The Daily 4 drawing machines use Ping Pong-style ball sets.
The Texas Lottery uses multiple ball sets for Daily 4.
The Texas Lottery uses multiple Pick 3 drawing machines manufactured by SmartPlay International
Inc. The Pick 3 drawing machines use Ping Pong style ball sets. The Texas Lottery uses multiple
ball sets for Pick 3.
All drawing machines are rotated monthly according to a planned schedule. The designated and/or
alternate ball sets used for the official drawings are selected randomly.
The ball sets are weighed in accordance with procedures. The Independent Accounting Firm
observes the internal weighing of ball sets. Each ball must meet very strict weight guidelines: The
weight of each Ping Pong style ball must fall within +/- 0.095 grams of the average weight of the
ball set. The weight of each natural-rubber ball must fall within +/- 1 gram of the average weight
of the ball set.
All Texas Lottery drawings are open to the public and are certified by an Independent Accounting
Firm. Every step of the drawing process is recorded by a video recording system and by official
documents maintained by both the Texas Lottery Commission and the Independent Accounting Firm. All
ball set weights, pre-test results, and official drawing results are reviewed by an Independent
Statistician. |
